Nath, Author at The Wheelchair Traveller

Day 5 (Jamaica) – Fern Gulley and Dunn Falls

When one thinks of wheelchair accessible countries, Jamaica probably doesn’t spring to mind, however, we docked at our first port of call, Ocho Rios today…

Wishing to explore a little of Jamaica rather than staying in the resort town, one had booked a wheelchair accessible taxi courtesy of Jamaica Wheelchair Taxi to take us sightseeing tour around the local area, through Fern Gulley (which I was led to believe was a rainforest) ending at Dunn Falls. As one was unsure of the accessibility, Superbunny remained on the ship. Our driver arrived on time with a wheelchair accessible minivan which had a tail-lift at the back making it easy for both a manual and electric wheelchair to enter…

We started our tour by heading through Ocho Rios and its main street where it is possible to get a flavour of how poor the country is. Now, when one thinks of rainforests, images of exotic animals and the Brazilian rainforest come to mind, however, the Jamaican version seems to be simply a large amount of fern trees towering above you with a road winding through it! What is interesting is the amount of shacks at the side of the road with people selling trinkets etc. It is always amazing how people can make money in the middle of nowhere with the occasional car…

Next, one drove up to a viewpoint via a very poorly maintained road where it became apparent just how big our cruise ship actually is, towering over half of the town…

On the website for Dunn Falls, it looked fairly wheelchair accessible, however, in turned out that the majority of the site was on a hill with steep slopes making it difficult to roll around, even in a manual wheelchair.

Finally, our driver took us to a local takeaway restaurant to sample some authentic jerk chicken, before returning back to the cruise ship.

Tomorrow, we dock in Georgetown in the Cayman Islands.

Day 3 (Miami) – The MSC Cruise Experience

Today, one headed down to the Port of Miami to embark on a 11 day MSC cruise around the Caribbean. Although the port is only a 10 minute drive away from the Hilton hotel, the driver of the accessible taxi charged us $40 whereas the other taxi that we booked to take our luggage only cost $15!

We boarded the cruise ship with ease and, of course, one got to skip most of the queues! Our luggage was took by the porters including the manual wheelchair and made its way up to ones cabins. Sitting alongside a cruise ship, it always amazes one how these can stay afloat…

Accessible cabins on MSC ships offer a generous space, perfect for wheelchair users and a fairly big wet room complete with a slightly small shower seat…

One rolled up onto the 16th floor to watch the ship depart from Miami just as the sun set. When one booked the cruise, we didn’t quite realise how posh the evening meal hence we were a bit taken back by it..

Tomorrow, one is at sea all day as we cruise towards our first destination, Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

Lets see what Jamaica has to offer as a wheelchair user!

Day 2 (Florida) – Miami Beach Wheelchairs

Today, one headed to Miami Beach. It was simple enough to book an accessible taxi from the Hilton to the Miami Beach area (bar the fact that it cost $70 there and back!).

After promenading along the beachfront, one headed for the beach. Unfortunately, Superbunny became stuck in the sand immediately, however, a guy came over and informed us that you can hire a beach wheelchair. One had seen these online and was expecting to pay a little for it, but was pleasantly surprised that it was FREE. Although it was not possible to drive it personally due to the set up, it was rather exciting rolling along a sandy beach in an electric wheelchair…

We drove said wheelchair down to the waters edge and then, of course, a dip in the Atlantic Ocean was necessary…

With the temperature rising, one retreated to a beachside restaurant where we got a flavour of the Miami Beach atmosphere. One word, CHAOS!

A stroll was necessary to calm ones brain…

Tomorrow, one heads down to the Port of Miami to embark on our 11 day MSC cruise around the Caribbean!

Day 1 (Florida) – Travel and Hilton Miami Downtown

Instead of crossing the pond with Virgin Atlantic as per the adventure in 2014, one opted for British Airways on this occasion albeit still in Premium Economy. In ones opinion, there isn’t much difference between the two airlines except from a lemon!

After a 9 hour flight, one landed at Miami International Airport. As per 2014, Superbunny had to be picked up from baggage reclaim rather than it being brought up to the plane door.

One of the good things about visiting the USA is that wheelchair accessible taxis are almost always available meaning that the trip to the Hilton Miami Downtown was relevantly easy to achieve.

As the Hilton is an international hotel chain, one already knew what to expect from an accessible room, especially in America. Apart from providing a spacious accessible room and wet room, it seemed as if the Hilton predicted the exact view that was wished for…

As one has a full day in Miami tomorrow before embarking on the Caribbean cruise, the plan is to head to the famous Miami Beach for a roll around and hopefully a dip in the Atlantic Ocean!

Day 3.5 (Madrid) – Cuatro Torres Business Area

After a traditional Spanish dinner at a local restaurant, one headed to the Cuatro Torres Business Area which contains some of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe. It has to be said that the surrounding area is something less to be desired, especially at night. However, as one would expect from an European financial district, the immediately area is fully accessible for wheelchair users to admire it’s modern architecture…

It is here that one bids you fair well from Madrid. In August, one will be flying to Miami to take a cruise around the Caribbean for 11 days, stopping at Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico and The Bahamas.

Day 3 (Madrid) – Faro de Moncloa and Atocha Station

Contrary to the weather forecast, today was full of sunshine hence it was straight across the road and down to Madrids metro system to visit the Faro de Moncloa observation tower!

Whilst travelling on the metro and changing lines at interchanges, one was able to get a feel for how accessible it is. The line that is closest to the Hotel Exe Plaza (Line 1) does seem to have one of the oldest rolling stock on the network, I put it similar to the old style Paris metro train. As a result, a large gap between the train and the platform edge is present. However, one noted that wheelchair users are advised to board the front carriage. This means that the driver can offer assistance if necessary. The more modern rolling stock does seem to have better accessibility…

Adjacent to Oeste Park is the Faro de Moncloa which stands against the backdrop of the mountains. Disabled individuals and one companion can enter for just 2 euros. The lift up to the observation deck provides panoramic views of the surrounding area. However, one was only able to view 180 degrees over the city from the top…

Nevertheless, one would recommend the Faro de Moncloa if you are at a loose end in Madrid and seeking something cheap to do.

Heading back onto the metro, one travelled to Atocha Railway Station only to discover that the elevator was out of service. As a result, one did the usual trick of hopping back onto the train, go down to the next accessible station and then doubling back.

Now, when one thinks of accessible metro stations, elevators spring to mind. However, it appears that the Spanish term ‘accessible’ as simply being a travellator…

One of the highlights of Atocha Station is the famous train shed which has since become a tropical garden full of cafés and bars. Said tropical garden is wheelchair accessible and certainly puts an unique twist on a railway station…

Even the disabled toilets are rather unique…

To conclude our time in the Spanish capital, one plans to have a roll around the nearby Cuatro Torres Business Area this evening containing some of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe before heading back to Barajas International Airport tomorrow.

Day 2.5 (Madrid) – City Accessibility

After a tour around the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, one delved deeper into Madrid to gain a sense of the citys accessibility. From rolling around for a few hours, Madrid seems fairly easy to explore akin to many European capitals in terms of drop curbs being located in appropriate places etc…

Near the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, one stumbled upon a generic shopping centre. Now, it is common sense for shopping centres to sign post the location of the lift, right? Apparently not as the lift in this shopping centre appeared to be by the toilets with no sign postage. One says lift, it was actually a cargo lift which I swear dated back to the 1980’s!

A few hours later, the sun decided to appear meaning that one got to roll around the other financial district that Madrid possesses. As usual, ones artistic style of photography showed as we wandered around…

From here, one thought that the hotel would be easy to find due to the straight road going back and the Cuatro Torres Business Area being in close proximity but neither of these two were evident. To add to this, ones phone had no internet access. Heading down some back streets, we eventually found out that we were following one of the numerous metro lines albeit the wrong way! As there was an accessible metro station nearby, one couldn’t resist going on it to get back to the hotel.

In terms of accessibility, the metro reminded one a little of Paris as only a portion of stations are accessible. Depending on what line you wish to go on, the gap between the train and the platform edge varies. In this case, Superbunny was required to take a leap of faith whilst attempting not to run over anybody.

Tomorrow, we head across the city using the metro network to the Faro de Moncloa in addition to Madrid’s Atocha railway station!

Day 2 (Madrid) – The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

As predicted, today was a dreary day in Madrid as headed out on our quest to find the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, one of the biggest in the world (who knew!). It was pretty easy to navigate from our hotel…

One reached the stadium in the knowledge that disabled individuals and one individual can enter for FREE, however the nice lady at the ticket office let us all in for free! One was told to walk around the stadium to a particular gate where we were greeted by security and taken up a glass elevator to begin our tour. Before heading into the stadium itself, the tour guides one through various exhibits displaying trophies and other memorabilia…

Unfortunately, the football pitch isn’t accessible for wheelchair users as it is down a flight of steps. As an alternative, one is allowed to visit the wheelchair seating area which is a stones throw away from the V.I.P area!

Day 1 (Madrid) – Barajas Airport and Hotel Exe Plaza

It is worth noting before one starts the Madrid adventure that the weather forecast for the entire week is a mix of rain and thunderstorms hence how much of the Spanish capital will be rolled around remains to be seen!

In a twist of events, one decided to book an evening flight from Bristol to Madrid hence we were up in the air around 18:45pm and landed 2.5 hours later. As we approached Madrid Barajas International Airport, the dark clouds began to roll in as predicted.

One is unsure whether this was due to arriving at Barajas rather late, however, special assistance seemed rather confused as they boarded. Even though the gate possessed a jet bridge, instead of taking Superbunny to the door, Barajas decided to park an Ambulift by the rear door which wasn’t particularly useful as one was sitting at the front of the plane!

Although our plane was delayed, our accessible taxi driver was still waiting for us to bring us on the short journey to the hotel. Nonetheless, the good thing about Western Europe is that wheelchair accessible taxis are of plenty. The Hotel Exe Plaza is situated within the Chamartín district and just a stones throw away from the Cuatro Torres Business Area. Ones room is pretty standard for a Western European hotel in terms of accessibility and wet rooms…

Despite the thundery showers, the plan tomorrow is to visit the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium which is around a 25 minute walk from the hotel.

Day 16 (Europe) – Interrailing by Wheelchair

As one boarded the brand new PKP High-Speed Intercity train to Warsaw (during which the staff learnt how to use the on board lift!) followed by a suburban train to the airport, it seemed appropriate to reflect on ones interrailing trip. The question being, would one recommend interrailing Europe using an electric wheelchair?

The answer is a definite YES, however, there are multiple factors that one needs to consider whilst planning. One of these is regarding luggage and equipment. The main difference between Interrailing and driving a WAV around Europe is that the latter allows space to store however much luggage and equipment one could wish for without any manual labour involved. This isn’t possible with Interrailing, one is constantly having to physically carry everything from destination to destination. However, this can be helped by booking a hotel within walking distance of the arrival station. Granted, it may be a little more expensive, however, it is worth questioning whether this will make a positive influence. This is especially if your train arrives at 11pm!

Another factor to consider when planning an Interrailing trip using an electric wheelchair is the accessibility of trains and the assistance process. This isn’t particularly an issue in Western Europe, for example, France or Switzerland as the majority of trains accommodate wheelchair users plus the assistance is relatively easy to book. However, as soon as one steps out of this region, it becomes a little more difficult. It is worth noting that in countries such as Poland, Romania and Bosnia, only certain trains on certain routes possess wheelchair access. It is usually possible to check this out either on the railway company website or by simply watching YouTube videos. The assistance staff in these countries are usually flexible and willing to adapt.

If adequately planned, European train travel is a great way for wheelchair users to experience the diverse cultures that the continent has to offer.

Nath